


*insert emo song title here*

by AlmondRose



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Emotions, Feelings, I win, Identity Porn, M/M, hahahhaah, omg i wrote out the 1am tag like super early just based off a prediction and it's literally 1:01 am, this is actually really sappy lol, whoohoo 1am postings how i missed you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-10-07 16:08:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10364346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlmondRose/pseuds/AlmondRose
Summary: Bruce is in love with Superman. There’s no doubt about that. Superman is kind and selfless and good and quite honestly the best friend Bruce’s ever had.But.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Боль любви](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12511144) by [fytbolistka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fytbolistka/pseuds/fytbolistka)



> soulmate au lads!!
> 
> this one is one where you're just straight up born with the knowledge of the first name of your soulmate. yeah.

Bruce is in love with Superman. There’s no doubt about that. Superman is kind and selfless and  _ good  _ and quite honestly the best friend Bruce’s ever had. 

 

But.

 

But he knows three things. 

 

The first thing is that Superman’s name is Kal. 

  
  


The second is that his soulmate’s name is Clark. 

  
  
  


So the third is that he can’t possibly be with Superman. 

 

He’s afraid to meet this “Clark” this soulmate of his--because he doesn’t want to lose the love he has for Superman, he doesn’t want to lose Kal. 

 

His worst, deepest fear is that Kal will find his soulmate--and leave him for good. 

 

It’s insane, he tells himself, because they’d still be friends--wouldn’t they?

 

\-----

 

Clark’s problem is that he’s almost certain that his soulmate is Bruce Wayne, which is not good because Bruce Wayne is an idiot and he’s in love with Batman, who’s the smartest person he knows. 

 

He knows that if he and Bruce Wayne  _ are  _ soulmates, they’ll meet eventually, but until then he delays delays delays, because what if he  _ did  _ fall in love with Bruce Wayne? What if he lost Batman? 

 

He feels like being the soulmate to that idiot playboy is almost degrading, like what if he falls in love with Bruce--notorious skirt chaser--and Bruce doesn’t love him back? Clark’s not interested in chasing after someone who doesn’t love him, who doesn’t want him back--so he doesn’t do anything. 

 

He confines himself to the bachelor life and makes sure Bruce never even  _ hears  _ about a Clark in the  _ Daily Planet,  _ because--what if it’s not like that, and Bruce comes chasing after  _ him?  _

 

\-----

 

Batman is in the Watchtower, and he’s sitting over Superman, and he’s pulling shards of Kryptonite from his chest, and Superman is wincing and this is physically painful for Batman, too. He doesn’t like to see Kal hurt. 

 

“Idiot,” he mutters after he digs out a particularly large shard. 

 

“I was...saving...civilians,” Kal pants. 

 

“You couldn’t have waited for backup?” Batman asks, sliding another piece out. He’s grateful for his steady hands, but he thinks they might shake. He  _ hates  _ this. “You could have  _ died,  _ Kal.’

 

“And--if I’d waited...then those--” he breaks off to huff as Bruce pulls out a tiny sliver from near his heart-- “civilians might’ve--died.” 

 

“Flash was on his way,” Batman growls. “He would have made it.”

 

“But then  _ he’d _ have Kryptonite, and where would we be?” Kal grins through the pain, and Batman hates it. 

 

“Less likely of a chance he’d die than you,” he says, pulling out the last stubborn piece and wiping his brow. He closes the lead box and watches as the wounds heal themselves through the holes on Kal’s suit. 

 

“Why do you care so much, anyway?” Kal asks, sitting up without wincing. Batman sighs. He’s tired. 

 

“I...care about you,” he says. “You’re my best friend.”

 

“That’s not it,” Kal says suspiciously. “You can’t lie to me.”

 

“It’s not a lie,” Batman protests. “You  _ are _ my best friend.” He chances a look over at Kal, who looks ridiculously happy. “What?”

 

“I love you, too,” he says, and Bruce’s heart flutters and stops, hope rising in his chest, welling in his throat, warming his heart--but. 

 

“I--have a soulmate,” he says, and he  _ hates  _ that he sounds so dejected,  _ hates  _ that he sounds so sad--but Kal smiles, softly and sadly. 

 

“I know,” he says. “I know.” 

 

Bruce feels like crying, but he’s not a crier, and Kal wraps his arms around him and pulls him close. His face is pressed against the S shield, and he can hear Superman’s heartbeat. It’s surprisingly steady and soothing. 

 

Bruce closes his eyes and listens, and he tries not to think of whoever Clark is, and whoever Kal’s soulmate is, and he takes a deep breath, and--

 

A phone rings and Bruce blinks. He casts his gaze upwards at Kal, who frowns and blushes sheepishly. 

 

“Sorry,” he mumbles, and he pulls a phone out of nowhere and answers it. “Hello?” Bruce can just hear the voice on the other end. 

 

“Clark Joseph Kent, where the hell are you? I told Perry you were coming back  _ hours  _ ago, and yet here you  _ aren’t,  _ and Perry’s gonna wring my neck--no Pulitzer can get me out of this one, and  _ where are you?”  _

 

“I’m--I’m taking a sick day,” Kal stammers, his voice both unlike and  _ exactly  _ like the Superman Bruce knows. “Tell Perry it’s--” He casts a look down at Bruce-- “soulmate related.”

 

“Ooh, really?”

 

“Lois--I might--I don’t know. It’s soulmate related. Bye.” 

 

And Kal hangs up before the girl--Lois--can say anything else, tossing his phone aside.  Bruce tries to process what he just heard. 

 

“Sorry about that,” Kal says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. 

 

“Clark...Kent?” Bruce repeats slowly. Kal freezes, his eyes wide. 

 

“Oh, yeah, um, that’s me?” 

  
  


Everything in Bruce’s brain short-circuits. 

 

“ _ What?” _

 

“Well, I was raised by an Earth family who named me Clark, and I found out about the Kal part later...why are you looking at me like that?” 

 

Bruce blinks out of his reverie and reaches up to yank the cowl off his head. He runs his gloved hand through his hair and doesn’t look away from Clark. 

 

“Bruce…” Clark breathes. “It’s--it’s you.”

 

“It’s  _ you,”  _ Bruce corrects, and Clark’s hand is on his face, and Bruce is still curled against his chest, and Clark’s thumb wipes across his cheek, and Bruce could stare into his eyes forever, but leaning even closer, closing his eyes, and meeting him for a kiss seems like a much better idea. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!! hope you enjoyed!! comments/kudos are always welcome


End file.
